I Love You Too AUReview

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The latest Aussie "romantic" "comedy".

By Patrick Kolan

If you're 33 years old, drive a miniature train for a living and eke out an existence in a granny flat with your improbably gorgeous girlfriend from the UK, logic might dictate that you're already living behind the relationship 8-ball. As such, it's really not a grand idea to date said-girl for three-and-a-half years and never tell her you love her. Frankly, it makes you look like an emotionally-stunted schmuck - and if she leaves you (and she should), you can't ponder the whys and wherefores.

And so it goes in 'I Love You Too' – the filmic product of TV presenter and comedian Peter Helliar ('Rove Live'), starring opposite acclaimed Australian actor Brendan Cowell ('Noise', 'Beneath Hill 60') and supported by a strong Australian and international cast, including the diminutive but captivating Peter Dinklage, model Megan Gale and TV's 'Chuck' star Yvonne Strahovski.

Director Daina Reid, whose body of work hasn't extended too far from acting and directing for small screen productions, sketches out the classic 'two bumbling mates' scenario. It plays out like clockwork; so much so that we began to switch off about half way through the story, already knowing exactly who would do what, say what to whom, and even the inevitable bittersweet 'twist' at the end. 'Predictable' isn't giving 'I Love You Too' enough credit – but giving this film a pass for merely ticking all the generic boxes isn't doing the Australian film industry any favours either.

From left: Cowell and Helliar bring some mild laughs to 'I Love You Too'.

Peter Helliar, who wrote the screenplay, convincingly apes British comedy traits of performers like Ricky Gervais and Simon Pegg to deliver a few rich laughs, but the story itself – and the paper-thin characters – ultimately undermine the production. Indeed, whereas a film like the recent 'The Invention of Lying' got by on Gervais' aloof humour and single strong gag, 'I Love You Too' doesn't have the same high profile attachments and set-up upon which to prop itself.

Brendan Cowell, who is admittedly a charming and vulnerable lead, fares a little better. The capable performer who shot to fame in 2007's 'Noise' for his portrayal of a disadvantaged and afflicted police constable, plays Jim, the commitment-shy everyman afflicted with a severe case of douchebaggery. Apparently it's contagious too, since every other guy around him seems to have the emotional depth of a sugar-fuelled preschooler.

That's the ultimate conundrum – not just for 'I Love You Too', but in most films that fall within the loose bounds of the romantic comedy genre: lame ducks don't bag great girls and keep them. ...Well, let's qualify that generality: lame ducks don't bag great girls and keep them— unless they're rich, successful and gorgeous – in which case, they cease to be 'lame ducks' entirely. Too bad for Jim, then – he's a classic no-hoper who goes through the inevitable journey of redemption and self-discovery after having his hand more-or-less forced by his partner, Alice (a sympathetic and lens-devouring Yvonne Strahovski).

Tying all of these relationships together is a chance encounter with the vertically challenged Charlie – a successful and confident dwarf who is recovering from emotional baggage of his own. Peter Dinklage arguably steals the show with a quirky but appealing screen presence that probably does more for the credibility of dwarf actors than anything else. He's memorable –and in a forgettable and ultimately average production, that's something of an achievement.

Love, loss and redemption? Really? Just ditch this putz.

Shot with a directorial eye for tele-drama, 'I Love You Too' gets carried away with fairy-lights in the trees, primary colour schemes and some fairly blunt motifs – but the framing and composition of later scenes – particularly Charlie's eventual encounter with Megan Gale's Italian model at a hotel bar – make for a pleasant production.

Sadly, the ineffectual and downright bland nature of the story progression sinks this ship. The development of the characters – new loves, old flames, happiness, sickness and the saccharine ending – mimic a dozen productions before it. It's stale. It's also harmless, too – apart from a tendency to fall back on foul-mouthed exchanges and the occasional sex gag. Peppering the script with enough colloquial edginess to appeal to the twenty-something demographic is deliberate, sure – but whereas a Judd Apatow comedy like 'Knocked Up' (to which a fair comparison can be drawn) pushes the envelope just far enough through clever writing, 'I Love You Too' caps itself in the knees with fart jokes and jingoism.

Supposing you read this far and still feel the urge to check it out, we'll leave you with this final thought: a film like 'I Love You Too' represents exactly how dire mainstream Australian filmmaking is these days. We're not desperate for great scripts – David Michod's outstanding 'Animal Kingdom' is the most recent underline here – but genre screenplays of any real significance simply aren't being financed. While wanting desperately to like this latest effort beyond harmless disposability, 'I Love You Too' ultimately suffers from the same kind of emotional retardation that undermines its characters – and unlike them, we're letting go and moving on.